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Have HOAs gone too far?
Posted on 8/4/16 at 4:34 am
Posted on 8/4/16 at 4:34 am
An interesting, long read on the Lexington-Herald website today about Homeowner's Associations and whether they've garnered too much power.
Obviously there's a need for some regulations so people will maintain their property but some of the stuff in the article sounds kind of nuts.
Obviously the option would be to not move into a neighborhood with one but per the article, 80% of new homes are built within one and 1 and 5 people currently live in a neighborhood/condo with one already established.
LINK
Obviously there's a need for some regulations so people will maintain their property but some of the stuff in the article sounds kind of nuts.
quote:
A mother of three in Tennessee told The Star that she attempted suicide after becoming wrought with stress over dealing with her HOA.
The woman said that although she had a documented medical condition that made it difficult for her to move her trash cans to the back of her house, the association hounded her and repeatedly threatened to sue because she placed them on the side of the building. She said she also was written up for putting two 8-inch birdhouses — made by her children — in front of the garage.
quote:
A lot of people don’t realize, especially first-time homebuyers, that when you purchase into these homeowners associations you are giving up some of your constitutional rights and some of your due process rights,” said Dave Russell, who rescued a troubled Arizona condo association and now runs it to much acclaim.
Obviously the option would be to not move into a neighborhood with one but per the article, 80% of new homes are built within one and 1 and 5 people currently live in a neighborhood/condo with one already established.
LINK
This post was edited on 8/4/16 at 4:50 am
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Posted on 8/4/16 at 5:44 am to BluegrassBelle
This is why we specifically picked a house that didn't have one.
Posted on 8/4/16 at 6:16 am to BluegrassBelle
quote:
Have HOAs gone too far?
Yes....I became the Director of an HOA bc the board had literally lost it's fricking mind.
My next house will not be anywhere near an HOA.
Posted on 8/4/16 at 6:39 am to BluegrassBelle
I'm the President of our HOA, but I live out in the country, and we have no real enforcement except to put a lien on someone's property if they aren't following a rule, which means nothing unless they are selling the home.
Do HOA inside city limits have powers beyond that?
For example, I have a neighbor who doesn't care for his yard at all, sometimes lets it get 12 inches tall before mowing, and doesn't weed eat or clear under his trees, or anything. We have rules about the outside appearance of the homes, but really can't do anything about it.
Also have a neighbor who has a truck without an engine sitting in his front yard, been there for years, but it's not allowed by rule.
Again, we can put a lien, but what good is that really.
Do HOA inside city limits have powers beyond that?
For example, I have a neighbor who doesn't care for his yard at all, sometimes lets it get 12 inches tall before mowing, and doesn't weed eat or clear under his trees, or anything. We have rules about the outside appearance of the homes, but really can't do anything about it.
Also have a neighbor who has a truck without an engine sitting in his front yard, been there for years, but it's not allowed by rule.
Again, we can put a lien, but what good is that really.
Posted on 8/4/16 at 6:44 am to BluegrassBelle
HOA is the only thing I disliked about the neighborhood we just bought a house in. But we'd made up our minds going in that we were going to pick a house that we wanted on its own merits, HOA or not.
That said, our HOA really hasn't hindered our lifestyle or limited us or anything. Pretty laissez-faire, which I'm thankful for.
That said, our HOA really hasn't hindered our lifestyle or limited us or anything. Pretty laissez-faire, which I'm thankful for.
Posted on 8/4/16 at 7:45 am to BluegrassBelle
quote:
whether they've garnered too much power.
I think this is silly. Your realtor, or the seller can and will give you a copy of the bylaws. If you don't like them, simply buy a different house.
Posted on 8/4/16 at 7:53 am to BluegrassBelle
I just bought my first house in a neighborhood with an HOA. They don't enforce shite and it kinda sucks.
Posted on 8/4/16 at 8:20 am to BluegrassBelle
Some HOAs are pure crap, like the one in your link, but you don't want neighbors neglecting their property.
We don't have an HOA and there's a guy at the end of the street that is letting his house visibly rot in places, the driveway has crumbled away, and his shrubs are a tangled mess. It looks like the Addam's family house. He does cut his grass though. Here's where the problem sits. 2 other houses are for sale at the end of the same street and the sales are being hindered by the lazy pig's house. Who the hell would want to live next door or across the street from that?
Another good HOA rule is not allowing a house to be put up for rent. There's to much trash that can only rent and they will bring down a neighborhood too.
We don't have an HOA and there's a guy at the end of the street that is letting his house visibly rot in places, the driveway has crumbled away, and his shrubs are a tangled mess. It looks like the Addam's family house. He does cut his grass though. Here's where the problem sits. 2 other houses are for sale at the end of the same street and the sales are being hindered by the lazy pig's house. Who the hell would want to live next door or across the street from that?
Another good HOA rule is not allowing a house to be put up for rent. There's to much trash that can only rent and they will bring down a neighborhood too.
Posted on 8/4/16 at 9:30 am to BluegrassBelle
In my limited experience the HOA is only as bad as the people in it. If you have shitty neighbors who bitch about little things, the HOA will be a pain. I've lived in two different town homes in urban/densely populated neighborhoods in Houston that had them, one was great and easy to deal with, one was terrible because a small minority in it constantly complained about the parking
This post was edited on 8/4/16 at 9:33 am
Posted on 8/4/16 at 2:50 pm to BluegrassBelle
Our HOA is pretty good. Dues are used for neighborhood entrance/exit upkeep, security monitoring, directories, and block parties. Never heard of anyone here getting a notice for yard problems, but everyone seems to maintain their yard anyway. No one wants their house to be the eyesore of the neighborhood
Posted on 8/4/16 at 8:54 pm to BluegrassBelle
Too far. Stick to big stuff like no personal junkyards and no plywood storage shacks or redneck quality additions. Life is too short to worry about uniformity of colors and flowers and mailboxes.
Posted on 8/4/16 at 10:27 pm to BluegrassBelle
quote:
A lot of people don’t realize, especially first-time homebuyers, that when you purchase into these homeowners associations you are giving up some of your constitutional rights and some of your due process rights,” said Dave Russell, who rescued a troubled Arizona condo association and now runs it to much acclaim.
Never understood the attraction to living in a sterile neighborhood with an HOA. Giving up some of my property rights isn't something I take lightly
Posted on 8/5/16 at 1:14 am to BluegrassBelle
Yes they have and from what I've witnessed most of it is cause by noisy people with too much time on their hands BUT....
She needs to learn to deal with life better
quote:
A mother of three in Tennessee told The Star that she attempted suicide after becoming wrought with stress over dealing with her HOA.
She needs to learn to deal with life better
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